A Court of Humans and Fae
by 11000719
Summary: Still human, Feyre's father works for the king, holding Fae as prisoners in exchange for money. Rhys, Mor, Azriel and Cassian are captured and Feyre can't help but be drawn to the beautiful Fae with violet eyes. All characters are created and own by Sarah J Maas!


"Now remember that they won't be here for long, this Is just a temporary measure," her father said, as he led the three of them downstairs to the kitchen. The three of them followed, Elain clinging to their fathers arm as usual, Feyre and Nesta trailing behind.

The kitchen was large, a hive of activity at the back of the house, where her father and sisters rarely set foot. Usually, Feyre was the only one of all of them who bothered to speak to the maids outside of what was required. She spied Elise, kneading dough on the wooden counter in the centre and Anna, stoking the fire in the middle of the left wall, a large pot hanging over it. Elise smiled at Feyre as she passed, earning herself a glare from Nesta, who firmly believed that there was no need to interact with the maid unless she needed something.

They neared the back of the room, where a wall of cupboards usually stood. Except the cupboards were no longer there, replaced instead by a wall of wrought iron bars, that stretched floor to ceiling. The bars had been brought forward into the room, further forward than the cupboards had ever reached, creating a cramped, makeshift cell of sorts.

As they came to a standstill in front of them, Feyre's eyes adjusted to the dim candlelight and she saw, with horrifying clarity, that the cell was not empty. Inside, sat against a low wooden bench on the back wall, were four of the most beautiful people she had ever seen; a stunning, blonde haired woman, who looked no older than Feyre herself, and three dark haired males, two with vicious looking wings peering over their shoulders. The female and two of the males glared at them through the bars. The wingless male though, simply stared at her, violet eyes boring into her, a bored, disinterested look on his face.

Feyre swallowed her horror and rounded on her father. "What on earth is this?" she asked in disbelief, gesturing at the cell.

Her father had the decency to look ashamed. "I didn't have a choice," he said, looking between the three of them. Elain had backed away from him and was standing a safe distance from the cell and Nesta's face hadn't changed, looking as stony as ever. "You know times have been hard, that money is tight. The meeting I had last week," he paused and looked away before turning back to them, his eyes wide. "It was with the King."

No one said anything.

Elain broke the silence. "The King? Father, how did you meet the King?"

He swallowed audibly. "He wrote to me, asking me to meet with him in the palace. He said that he needed my assistance and that he would make sure my services were recognised." His voice rose as he saw the looks on their faces. "I had no choice! We are so close to losing everything!"

Feyre found her voice. "Services. What services?"

Her father met her eyes. "He said that there were Fae from Prythian, who were enemies of our land, a threat to us, trying to find as much knowledge of us as possible so they could destroy us, rule us."

Feyre stared. "And you believed him?"

"He's the king Feyre, why would he lie?"

In the cell next to them, the wingless male shifted, and Feyre could've sworn a sharp gasp escaped his lips. She glanced over, but found the same carefree mask on his perfect face, though his violet eyes remained glued to her.

"So how do they fit into all of this?" Nesta finally spoke up, gesturing to the cell, her voice deadly, full of disgust as it always was when she addressed their father.

He didn't meet her eyes, he never did. "He told me that he would capture them as they came over the wall, that he would do everything, I just had to wait for them to arrive. He said that they were important, that people, other Fae, would be looking for them, so he had to keep them somewhere where they wouldn't look." He looked between the three of them when they said nothing. "It won't be for long! And the bars are made of iron and the King lined the house with ash wood so they can't use their power or be tracked. No one will look for them here. And if they eventually do, they'll be long gone."

"Father, you can't do this," Feyre implored. "It's not safe for one and how do we know we can trust the king? These people could be innocent, guilty of nothing!"

"They're guilty of being Fae, Feyre." It was Nesta who responded, surprising Feyre; Nesta rarely agreed with their father over anything, if you could call this agreeing.

Feyre rounded on her. "So you think this is justified because they were born differently from you and I?"

Nesta lifted her chin. "I think it's justified Feyre because it's needed. Because if we don't help the king, we'll soon have nothing."

Feyre didn't answer but their father whispered quietly, "Thank you Nesta."

Nesta glared at him. "I didn't say that to agree with you old man. I said it because I have no desire to leave this house and be left with nothing. That's all." She turned on her heel and stalked from the room. Elain scurried after her a few moments later.

Feyre turned back to her father. "Father please, don't do this. There must be another way to make money. You can sell some more jewels or... or I can hunt more animals and sell their hides."

"Feyre, please..."

"No! They're people father! Who have done nothing to you, to any of us! I thought you were better than this!"

"I have no choice. The money from the king will keep us going for the next year at least. If I don't do this, we'll have to leave." He paused. "Anna and Elise will have to leave." And he knew he had her with that. She may not care whether she lived in this house or not, but she couldn't do that to Anna and Elise. He raised his chin. "I am the master of this house, and this is my decision. That's final." With that, he left, following her sisters out of the kitchen, past Anna and Elise, who had their eyes down, diligently working away as if the whole exchange had not happened.

Feyre stood there for a moment, staring after them, before turning to the Fae imprisoned behind her. She glanced over them; they hadn't moved at all, though their glares had softened slightly. She met the violet eyes of the bored looking one. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry," she said quietly.

He didn't respond though Feyre could've sworn his eyes softened. With that, she turned and left, glancing over her shoulder when she reached the door. It was too dim to see all the way back to the cell, though she was sure she could see a pair of violet eyes, still staring at her, reflecting the candlelight.


End file.
